NASHVILLE – With the prospect that it might have to be put on hold, Parrish Gaines is pursuing a dream nonetheless.

Having just graduated from the Naval Academy with a degree in political science and a four-year standout career at defensive back for the Midshipmen also on the resume, the Smyrna High graduate is part of an invited group of rookies trying out for the Titans.

Thing is, Gaines is waiting word for assignment this fall for the obligatory two-year service commitment that comes with graduating from Navy. In the meantime, he’ll try to prove his worth for a NFL roster, hopefully the Titans.

“I played a lot at Navy and got to play a good, long career,” Gaines said Friday following the first Titans rookie practice session that included quarterback Marcus Mariota, the No. 2 overall draft pick and reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

“To just have an opportunity to practice with the Titans and a possibility to having a roster spot with this team,” he added, “it’s something I have always dreamed of. Navy helped develop me to get here.”

But it might be the Navy commitment that could put a career in the NFL on hold, should he make the cut. There have been instances — like former Titans fullback Collin Mooney, who played at Army — where players come out of a service academy and can play in the NFL while also fulfilling postgraduate commitments.

“There is no set list of instructions,” Gaines said of getting marching orders from the Naval Academy that are expected to include him reporting this fall to serve as a Naval supply officer. “I haven’t got that yet. It’s a sticky situation.”

In the meantime, Gaines will focus entirely on football, which was totally unlike the past four years he spent at the Naval Academy. Then again, it shouldn’t surprise many that the class president at Smyrna High both his junior and senior years was named a Midshipmen co-captain last season.

“It was definitely a tough transition,” Gaines said of leaving Smyrna, where he lived with mother Delanna Johnson, to the immediate demands of attending Navy. “It was very, very hard for me. Going in, the whole aspect gave me troubles all the way up until my junior year. Just school and military commitment and obligations and playing football posed problems for me.”

But he persevered enough to be a four-year starter and key member of a defense that helped Navy win consecutive bowl games for just the second time in program history. As a junior, he helped the Midshipmen beat MTSU in the Armed Forces Bowl, followed by beating San Diego State in the Poinsettia Bowl last year.

Gaines started 24 games at cornerback the first two seasons before moving to free safety midway through his junior season. After his senior season, Gaines received Navy’s Joe Bellino Award, which is “presented to the varsity football player whose inspiring on-the-field performance made a significant impact on the team and contributed to its overall success during the season.”

Last season, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder had 43 tackles, four pass break-ups, three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and 2.5 tackles for a loss. He started 44 consecutive games at Navy.

“It did teach me a whole lot of things — time management, how to be efficient,” Gaines said. “A lot of things I learned at the Naval Academy can directly relate to today on the football field.”

Doing best to get noticed

Right now, Gaines is trying to get the attention of Titans coaches. The team has depth in secondary led by veteran starter Michael Griffin at free safety.

Other safeties currently listed on the team’s active roster include veteran Titans backup Daimion Stafford, undrafted free agent Cory Prewitt of Ole Miss, and free-agent signee Da’Norris Searcy, who played the last four years for the Bills. Third-year Titans defensive back Marqueston Huff can also play safety.

“It’s a long process,” Gaines said of making the Titans. “Right now, it is very hard, just practicing in shorts and helmets, to separate yourself from everybody. It’s a process that goes through the summer and into the season. Pending my commitment at the Navy, I am going to work at it.”

That first day of practice with a NFL team, especially the Titans, made a lasting impression.

“It meant everything to me just to have a NFL jersey on, let alone it be the Titans, where I grew up 20 minutes away from the stadium,” said Gaines, whose uncle Bobby Johnson was the leading receiver for the New York Giants team that won the 1986 Super Bowl. “I have always wanted to play in the NFL for as long as I can remember.”

Gaines also understands that making the team is not the only thing on the horizon. Soon, he’ll find out what the Navy has in store.

“It has been after a tenure in the military,” Gaines said of players who graduate from the service academies eventually playing professional. “Usually after about two years, they get a shot to also play and also serve in the Navy Reserve.

“This fall, I head out to my station. I’m not sure where yet. That’s the plan. I do that, and then hopefully I get to come back to football.”

Greg Pogue is former executive sports editor at The DNJ. E-mail him at grpogue@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @ThePoguester.